Two men fined $23,500 for faking IT order

Former IBM Singapore sales representative Leong Shean Yang.

UPDATE: Statement from Fuji Xerox Singapore on the matter: "Fuji Xerox Singapore strictly does not condone Goh Eng Han's actions, and wishes to state that his employment has been terminated following his conviction on the forgery offence, which violates the terms of his employment."

When told that the prosecution was seeking a fine above $10,000 for a forgery offence, District Judge Low Wee Ping asked if the punishment should be harsher.

He said: "I'm a bit surprised that the prosecution is only asking for a fine. I would think they would ask for a custodial sentence.

"But since they asked, they must know other factors (involved) and I must defer."

During sentencing yesterday morning, the judge repeatedly said forgery is a very serious offence and that a low fine would be "trivialising the situation".

The men had forged a purchase order claiming that IBM hardware was being ordered by the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).

There was no such order.

Court papers stated that the two men agreed to the forgery as it would generate substantial revenue for the companies they worked in.

Documents also showed that IBM Singapore has a network of re-sellers and distributors. Fuji is a re-seller.

Goh had to acquire hardware for a client.

Leong, 34, who handled sales dealing with Government bodies, suggested to Goh that he could list DSTA as the end-user in a purchase order he was submitting.

Having previously dealt with the agency, Goh agreed.

He used a previous DSTA purchase order as a template and edited various details, including the supplier's particulars, value and description of items.

Goh retained the signature of the DSTA purchasing staff and the DSTA stamp.

The conspiracy was uncovered when goods meant to have been delivered to DSTA were found to have been exported to the US. In spite of the forgery, Goh was not dismissed by Fuji, his lawyer, Mr S.S. Dhillon told the court yesterday.

He added: "(Goh) was doing this for the benefit of the company. But now the restitution comes from him, and the punishment is on him."

Both men have made full restitution to IBM Singapore. The amount came to a total of US$51,250 ($67,300).

lawsm@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 16, 2014. Get The New Paper for more stories.